Packing and shipping container



p 14, 1954 J. w. MAIN PACKING AND SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed April 25,1952 f nz/eni'ar x ames Z/Zffczzln A v N I R Patented Sept. 14, 1954PACKING AND SHIPPING CONTAINER James W. Main, Bellvue, Wash., assignorto Contamer Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., a corporation ofDelaware Application April 25, 1952, Serial No. 284,351

3 Claims.

The improved packing and shipping container comprising the presentinvention is primarily adapted for use in connection with the packingand shipping of fruits and other delicate edibles. The invention ishowever capable of other uses and the improved container may, ifdesired, with or without modification, be employed for the packing andshipping of a wide variety of frangible articles whether edible orotherwise.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a packing andshipping container which may be formed entirely of containerboard stockhaving rigid ends, and having sides which perform the dual function ofcushionin the fruit while at the same time gently compressing the fruittogether to prevent shifting of the container contents.

The provision of a paperboard container of the character brieflyoutlined above being among the principal objects of the invention, anequally important object is to provide a container which will accomplishthese aims without occasioning outward bulging of the side walls, andwhich will enable a number of the containers to be stacked upon oneanother squarely without danger of toppling and without the weight ofthe containers in the upper levels of the stack being transmitteddirectly to the articles contained in the lower levels of the stack.

With these and other objects in view which will become more readilyapparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, theinvention consists in the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts shown in the accompanying single sheet of drawingsin which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a container constructed in accordancewith the principles of the present invention. In this view certain partshave been broken away to more clearly reveal the nature of theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1 with the coverremoved.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank from which the outer container shell isformed, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of a pair of lining, cushioning andreinforcing elements employed in connection with the present inventionrespectively and showing the same arbitrarily folded and sprung to theposition which they assume in the assembled container structure.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1,a blank In is shown and is capable of being folded into the form of anouter container shell l2 (Figs. 1 and 2) of generally rectangularconfiguration. The blank ill 2 III is comprised of nine panels orsections I4, l6, I8, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 and the material of theblank is preferably corrugated paperboard of conventional materialhaving smooth opposite exterior liners and a corrugated mediumtherebetween.

The various panels are separated from one another by fold lines whichare in common desi nated at 32 and which may be of a conventional type.

The blank I!) is adapted to be folded into the form of outer containershell [2 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and, when so folded, the panel 22constitutes a shell bottom while the panels l6 and 28 constitute theshell sides. The panels I4, and 26 constitute one composite end of theshell in the erected structure, while the panels I3, 24 and constitutethe composite end thereof.

In erecting the container shell l2, the panels [4, l6 and I8, and thepanels 26, 28 and so may be folded upwardly as units to bring the sidesl6 and 28 into position. Thereafter the panels I8 and 26 may be turnedinwardly and the panels 3t and [4 respectively may then be turnedinwardly so as to overlap the panels l8 and 26. The thus erectedstructure may be fixed in its erected position in any suitable mannerand by means well known in the art, as for example by stitching, gluingor otherwise adhering the end panel sections, [4, 20 and 25, and I8, 28and 30 together, or by the application of adhesive tape to the verticaledges of the carton shell at appropriate places.

To complete the container structure, a pair of inner liners 34 and 36,shown in Figs. 4 and 5 respectively, are inserted in the erectedcontainer shell l2 in a manner that will now be described in detail.

The liners 34 and 36 are identical in construction andeach consists of aflat blank of the paperboard material which is divided into two panelsor sections 38 and 40 by means of a transverse fold line 4|. In Figs. 4and 5, the blank form of the liners 34 and 36 is shown in full lineswhile the form which the erected blanks assume when assembled in thecontainer shell I2 is shown in dotted lines.

Each panel section 38 is of a width substantially equal to the height ofthe container shell sides 16 and 28. Since the blanks which form theliners 34 and 36 are of uniform width throughout, the width of the panelsections 43 is equal to the height of the composite carton shell endwalls.

The length of the panel sections 38 of each of the two liners 34 and 36is slightly in excess of the longitudinal extent provided for it withinthe container shell and, depending upon the thickness of the paperboardmaterial employed for the container shell, it may be substantially equalto, slightly greater than, or even in certain instances slightly lessthan the actual meas ured longitudinal extent of the side walls l6 and28. The longitudinal extent of each of the panel sections 46 ispreferably slightly less than the measured inside transverse width ofthe composite end walls of the container shell. Preferably it isapproximately equal to the width of the end flaps or panel sections 28and 24 of the blank 18.

Referring now to Fig. 2 it will be seen that reading from right to left,i. e. from the inside of the container shell outwardly, the compositeleft hand end wall of the shell includes the panel sections or flaps 20,26 and [4. Since, in the blank l8, these panel sections are cut of equallongitudinal extent, they may be caused to assume, in the erected shellstructure, the relationship illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the transverseedge 42 of the panel section 26 (Fig. 3) and the longitudinal edge 44 ofthe panel section 28 (Fig. 3) are in longitudinal alignment. Thetransverse edge 46-of the panel section 38 of the liner 34 may thus beintroduced into the space existing between the edges 42 and 44 and theside is to firmly wedge or grip the end region of the panel section 38in position at the corner of the carton shell as shown in Fig. 2.

The panel section 40 of the liner 34 is folded at a right angle to theplane of the anel section and the corner represented by the fold line 4|is brought into the upper right hand corner of the container shell asviewed in Fig. 3. Since the longitudinal extent of the panel section 38is slightly greater than the longitudinal dimension from the inner faceof the outer end wall panel at one end of the container to the innerface of the inner end wall panel at the other end of the container, thepanel section 38 will assume the inwardly bowed configuration shown inFig. 2 for cushioning and other purposes that will be made clearpresently.

The right hand end of the container shell I2 is similar in itsconstruction to the previously described left hand end thereof and,reading from left to right, i. e. from the inside of the shelloutwardly, the composite wall includes the panel sections or flaps 24,I8 and 30. Thus the transverse and longitudinal edges 66 and 52 of thepanel sections 24 and I6 respectively, in the blank 18, will assumepositions of substantial contiguity so that the edge 54 of the panelsection 38 of the liner 36 may be introduced into the space existingbetween these two edges and the inner face of the side wall 28. Theliner 36 is folded along the line 4| at a right angle and the foldededge introduced into the lower left hand corner of the container shellas viewed in Fig. 2 so that the panel section 48 lies inside the panelsection 20 and in substantial coextensive contact therewith. As in thecase of the liner 34, the panel section 38 of the liner 36 will likewiseassume an inwardly bowed condition in direct opposition to the bowedpanel section 38 of the other liner 34.

In assembling the liners 34 and 36 in the erected container shell I2, inthe manner indicated above, the panel sections 38 have a tendency tospring inwardly to the bowed configuration illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and6 due to the resistance of the blank carton material to bending. Thisinward springing of the panel sections provides a clearance between themedial regions thereof and the adjacent inner faces of the two sidewalls 28 and I6.

Depending, of course, upon the extent to which the container is filled,the inwardly bowed panel sections 38 will yield proportionately. If thecontainer is tightly packed it is possible that the bowed panel sectionswill become substantially straight and yet its resistance to suchstraightening will effectively prevent outward bowing of the containersides 16 and 28 so that little difiiculty will be encountered ininstallation of a suitable cover member such as the lid designated inits entirety at 56.

It is to be noted that the panel sections 38 of the liner members 34 and36 are crowded so to speak into a dimension which is slightly less thanthe longitudinal dimension of these panel sections. Thus, if the overalllongitudinal dimensions of the panel sections 38 and of the side wallsi8 and 28 are exactly equal, then the panel sections 38 still must becrowded into dimensions which are less than the full longitudinal extentof the panels 38 by an amount equal to the thickness of the infoldedcontainer end flap 18 or 26 as the case may be.

It will be understood that this length-differential between thedimension of the panel sections 38 and the dimension into which they arecrowded may be varied within reasonable limits either by varying thelength of the panel sections or by varying the thickness of thecontainer material. Generally speaking, the greater the lengthdifferential, the greater will be the bulge.

Finally, it is to be noted that the end edge regions 46 of the panelsections 38 are firmly wedged or looked within the space existingbetween the edges 42 and 44 of the panel sections 26 and 26 respectively(Fig. 3). The end edges of the panel sections 40 of the liners 34 and 36are similarly held against inward movement by virtue of their edgecontact with the end regions of the panel sections 33 on the opposingliner. The inward bulge of the panel sections 38 affords resistance toinward swinging movement of the panel sections 48 and, in this manner,the liners 34 and 36, once installed in the outer container shell, arefirmly locked in their assembled positions.

The invention is not to be considered as limited to the exactarrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing or described inthis specification as various changes in the details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. Onlyinsofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in theaccompanying claims is the same to be limited.

I claim:

1. A packing and shipping container for fruit and other frangible andperishable articles comprising a rectangular box-like structure formedfrom a single piece of paperboard cut, scored and folded to provide abottom wall panel, a side wall panel substantially contiguous with andconnected to the bottom wall panel along each side thereof and an endwall panel connected to each end of the bottom wall panel and each endof each of the side wall panels, the three end wall panels at each endof the container being lapped one upon another with one of the end wallpanels that is connected to a side wall panel at such end disposed atthe outside of the container end, each of the other two end wall panelsat such end of the container having a vertically extendtical end wallliner section, the side wall liner section having a length slightlygreater than the longitudinal dimension from the inner face of the outerend wall panel at one end of the container to the inner face of theinner end wall panel at the other end of the container, the verticaledge region of each side liner section remote from the end liner sectionbeing slidably interposed and frictionally held between the contiguousfree vertical edges of the end wall panels adjacent thereto and theadjacent inner surface of the adjacent side wall panel, the medialregions of each side wall liner section being sprung inwardly of thecontainer.

2. A packing and shipping container as set forth in claim 1 in which thetransverse extent of each end liner section is substantially equal tothe transverse extent of the adjacent innermost end panel and in whichthe free vertical edge of said end liner section is seated in a verticalcorner of the structure in edge abutting relation to the inside face ofthe side liner section of the other liner adjacent to the free end ofsuch section.

3. A packing and shipping container for fruit and other frangible andperishable articles comprising a rectangular box-like structure formedfrom a single piece of paperboard cut, scored and folded to provide abottom wall panel, a side wall panel substantially contiguous with andconnected to the bottom wall panel along each side edge thereof and anend wall panel connected to each end of the bottom wall panel and eachend of each of the side wall panels, the three end wall panels at eachend of container being lapped one upon another with one of the end wallpanels that is connected to a side wall panel at such'end disposed atthe outside of the container end, each of the other two end wall panelsat such end of the container having a vertically extending free edgeterminating substantially contiguous and adjacent to the other andclosely adjacent to the inner surface of the adjacent side wall panel,and a pair of generally L-shaped liners for said box-like container,each liner being composed of a single longitudinal sheet of relativelystiff yet bendable paperboard material folded along a transverse line toprovide a vertical side wall liner section and an adjacent vertical endwall liner section, the side wall liner section having a length slightlygreater than the longitudinal dimension from the inner face of the outerend Wall panel at one end of the container to the inner face of theinner end wall panel at the other end of the container, the verticaledge region of each side liner section remote from the end liner sectionslidably interposed between the contiguous free vertical edges of theend wall panel adjacent thereto and the adjacent inner surface of theadjacent side wall panel, the medial regions of each side wall linersection being sprung inwardly of the container the end section of eachliner being substantially coextensive with the inner surface of thecontainer end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,514,295 Scurich July 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 28,514 Great Britain 1913

